In this Thursday, June 21, 2012, file photo, customers walk in and out of Best Buy in Danvers, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

(Newser)
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Best Buy is changing things up this holiday season. Amid concerns over "showrooming"—when customers visit stores, check out products, and then buy them online—Best Buy is set to match online prices, including Amazon's, the Wall Street Journal reports. It's also going to throw in free delivery of out-of-stock items. Right now, 40% of customers who visit the store actually buy something, and "we have a tremendous opportunity to increase that close rate," says a rep. Meanwhile, Walmart is taking a different tack: "Let's be the best showroom," CEO Mike Duke told investors.

To that end, Walmart is experimenting with same-day delivery for popular holiday items bought online. Toys "R" Us is also looking to boost delivery speed. The moves basically turn stores "into online order fulfillment centers," the Journal notes. The chains are taking the steps even as they publicly downplay the effects of showrooming—but a survey finds that 33% of shoppers, and 43% of electronics shoppers, do buy items online after visiting stores.

40% of Walmart's workforce is paid slave wages, and is on food stamps. Please don't reinforce this horrific Romneyesque exploitation, buy your stuff from a company with compassion for America's working families.

WiccanFerret

Oct 12, 2012 12:09 PM CDT

Actually, for the past few years, every time I've found something online for a certain price, it was already similarly priced at both Best Buy and Fry's Electronics. So, ironically, I've been doing this in reverse -- "showrooming" it online then going and buying it in person. I always go with the intent of trying to get them to price match (Fry's does this without drama), and never end up actually having to do so. Just off the top of my head, this has happened with a laptop, a Harmony remote, and a 16GB pack of RAM.

JoeQ

Oct 12, 2012 11:34 AM CDT

And here's how I've seen it work in other places: (1) You have to know the price beforehand. (2) You have to ask the salesman for it. (3) You have to haggle a bit with the salesman until he goes off for 20 minutes to "check the internet". (4) He says its not really exactly the same item, but what the heck he'll give it to you at that price wink wink nudge nudge. Yuck.